1st snowstorm of season to blanket Upper Midwest to end the week

Up to several inches of snow will fall over part of the Upper Midwest into Saturday.

A storm will ride a blast of cold air from Canada. The storm will tap just enough moisture to bring accumulating snow from parts of the northern Plains and the upper Great Lakes region.

Following a brief warmup during midweek, temperatures will continue to plunge.

Farther east, snow will develop and become heavy at times from central and northeastern Minnesota to part of northwestern Ontario, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northernmost Wisconsin. Locally 8 inches of snow may fall on part of this area, mainly on non-paved surfaces.

The storm will also lead to coastal flooding along some of the shores of Lake Superior. Flooding was reported in Duluth, Minnesota on Friday afternoon which lead to some road closures near the lake, Duluth News Tribune reported.

In this area, the snow is likely to fall at a fast enough pace to create slushy and snow-covered roads in some locations, despite these surfaces being warm to start.

In Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, non-paved surfaces are likely to be covered with snow. Motorists should have a snow brush handy to clean off their vehicles. Most roads are likely to be just wet. However, some slushy spots may develop on the bridges and areas that do not receive direct sunlight.

Motorists traveling northward on Interstate 94 and I-35 will encounter progressively more snow and an increasing risk of slippery travel.

Some airline delays are possible as regional aircraft flying out of the snow zone will have to be de-iced prior to departure.

A mixture of rain and wet snow or snow showers are likely to reach as far as Green Bay and Madison, Wisconsin; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

By Saturday, a few snowflakes may be seen around Chicago, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Davenport, Iowa.

As the cold air is swept eastward, where moisture lingers over the lower Great Lakes and perhaps the central Appalachians, a few snowflakes may fall along with rain showers from Sunday to Monday.

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